Update 38 – 22/07/2020
Dear MGC Students, Parents/Carers and Staff,
As you would be aware, from Thursday morning, the wearing of masks becomes compulsory across Melbourne, for all people aged 12 or older, whenever leaving your household.
Please see below for further information regarding mask wearing requirements generally, for students, for staff and the need to continue to practice physical distancing. See also the Premier’s media release here.
Mask wearing is an additional layer of protection against COVID-19 along with other measures including:
– staying home when unwell and getting tested if you have any cold or flu like symptoms
– physical distancing
– hand hygiene
We know that wearing masks will taking some getting used to, but expectations are clear and will be enforced at MGC.
It is the responsibility for all members of the MGC community to be organising their own masks, as they will be needed at any time people leave their homes. At the time of writing, we have not received supplies of disposable masks from DET. If students or staff need to pick up a couple of disposable masks for the next couple of days, they can pick up these from the General Office before they leave school today (Wednesday).
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal
Update 36 – 16/07/2020
Dear MGC Students, Parents/Carers and Staff,
A quick update today – below is the timetable from Week 2. Please note:
– the times for arriving at school for VCE classes – from 10am Mondays and 8.15am Tuesdays-Fridays for temperature checking.
– the timetable has been designed to maximise the possible travelling time for Year 10 students attending face-to-face lessons. The timetable also encourages breaks for exercise and ‘off screen time’ for remote learners during the day.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal
Update 35A – 15/07/2020
Dear Year 10/11/12 Students and Parents/Carers,
Change to temperature checking locations
We have had some troubles with temperature checking outside. From tomorrow morning we will change this process for students arriving at the northern end of the school. Students will no longer enter via Gate 1A, but rather via Gate 2 (Lyceum car park pedestrian gate). They will then enter the Gym and have their temperature taken in the Cafe. From the Cafe students can exit via any of the three exits – to the portables, main building or to the Lyceum. Please see a 22 second video here to understand how this will work. Students entering via Gate 3 will similarly now have their temperature taken inside. We hope taking temperatures inside will speed up this process.
Signing-in
As per the instructions that Ms Demirova went through in Monday’s assembly, students arriving late or for Period 2, 3 or 4 must have their temperatures checked and sign in at the General Office. All students must have their temperature checked at the beginning of their school day to protect everyone’s health. Students not following this procedure may receive a detention.
VCE Classes
VCE classes will generally not be covered if a teacher is absent over the next five weeks. Teachers will usually leave work for students to be completing in their absence (even if the class is greyed out, students can access the lesson plan). If students need to be on site during the class time, they can attend the Library or for Year 11 or 12 students, the Study Centre.
Generally absences are posted on Compass before 8am. There was a late Period 3 absence today – my apologies to those students that travelled in to school only to find out about this late cancellation.
Year 10s travelling to face-to-face Unit 2 classes
We will publish the timetable for Week 2 onwards tomorrow evening. The timetable has been designed to allow those students living locally the opportunity to complete their remote lessons at home and allow for some travel time between these lessons and their face-to-face classes.
If Year 10 students cannot travel between home and school between classes, they can complete their remote learning work at school and will be supervised in the Library. Families do not need to complete the Form sent earlier today in this circumstance.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal
Update 35 – 15/07/2020
Dear MGC Students, Parents/Carers and Staff,
Please see below for arrangements regarding logistical issues for the return to schooling for students in Years 7 to 10. Further information regarding the remote learning program will be provided later this week.
Collecting resources from lockers
Year 7 to 10 students are able from now to collect any belongings they need from their lockers:
- This can only be during school hours.
- Students must enter via Gate 3 (General Office), have their temperature checked, head to their lockers to collect their belongings and then leave the school grounds.
- We ask that parents remain off site in line with government directives to limit adults on the school grounds.
Computer Help During Remote Learning
Parents should please refer to yesterday’s newsfeed from Anthony Keen regarding support MGC can provide to ensure that students are prepared with working laptops and internet. I would add that it is critical that student devices have working cameras and microphones, so it is worthwhile having a check of laptops this week to ensure these are working (before classes begin).
Year 7-10 students requiring supervision on site
All children who can learn at home must learn from home – with special cases only in exceptional circumstances:
1. For children whose parents can’t work from home and who require supervision
2. For vulnerable students without access to a suitable learning environment at home
3. For students with a disability
Please note that limited internet access at home is not one of these categories, and see the assistance outlined above for this.
– Students will be supervised by MGC staff during school hours.
– The learning program delivered on-site will be the same as the learning program delivered to students undertaking remote learning (via Teams). Students will not be supervised by their regular teachers.
– Temperature checks will be taken each morning. Hand sanitiser will be available. Strict social distancing will be enforced.
– Students that are ill should not attend and any students who become ill will be immediately sent home.
– Students will need to bring their charged device, headphones and any other necessary materials each day.
– School uniform must be worn.
We ask that parents believe their child meets the criteria above and need to be supervised at MGC, complete our form here by Thursday 16th July at 3pm.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal
Update 34 – 12/07/2020
Further information regarding arrangements for Week 2 onwards including:
- students gathering resources from their lockers late this week
- students requiring supervision on site during remote learning
- students requiring IT support including laptops and internet dongles during remote learning will be provided by newsfeed by Wednesday.
Teachers will be using the pupil-free week for Prep to Year 10 students to plan the remote learning period. As in Term 2, students will access their classes via Teams and weekly plans will be available on Compass each Monday morning of the remote learning period.
Student supervision during Week 1 only
If there are any Year 7 to 10 students requiring supervision during Week 1 of Term 3, please email Rachel Robertson (rachel.robertson@mgc.vic.edu.au). Students will be supervised in the Library and/or assist with office monitor duties. They should bring their laptop. As per yesterday’s newsfeed, students can only be on site after 9.45am Monday and 8am Tuesday to Friday.
Physical distancing
In classrooms
We have been doing a lot of work over the past few days in terms of moving larger VCE classes (those with 22 or more students) into larger classroom spaces. Teachers and students may have already seen on Compass that some of their classes may have already been moved into larger than usual classrooms including the Level 3 double classrooms (311 to 322), STEAM Room (333) and larger Language rooms (2F1, 2F2, 302 and 303). More room changes will be made over this week. Students should carefully check Compass each morning to check their rooms.
The school has access to small exam desks and over the next few days we will add additional desks into some classrooms and in others we will replace some of the usual desks with exam sized desks. It will not be possible to have all of this ready for Monday Period 2 but the alterations will be made over the first few days of term.
Both the room changes and changes to desks aim to maximise the amount of space between students, and between students and their teachers, in line with advice to practice physical distancing to the greatest extent possible. Our previous advice that students should maintain 1.5m distance with their teachers and staff at all times remains the same. We recognise that this will be a change to the usual way that our classrooms are setup and will take some getting used to, for students and teachers alike.
During breaks
Students will be required to practice physical distancing during recess and lunch breaks. When students are sitting in groups, they need to sit with 1.5m gaps between themselves. Teachers on yard duty won’t have their tape measures out, but we ask students to be mindful of this new directive. As per Term 2, the Café will be limited to students lining up to purchase food (see further details below) and student numbers in the Library and Study Centre will also be limited. When it is a very cold or wet weather day and students are allowed to use classrooms, more rooms will be available, and students will need to ensure that numbers are no more than the number of chairs.
Lockers and locker bays
Students must use the MGC school bag on their way to and from school but this must be stored with the student’s mobile phone in their locker during school hours.
Students are welcome to bring a smaller bag to transport their belongings between classes. Those students can spend less time during the school day at and around busy locker bays.
Corridors
Classrooms will be kept open during the school day and students must wait for their classes to begin in their classrooms, not the corridors.
On Public Transport
There is currently no law limiting the number of people per tram, train or bus. We all do however have a civic responsibility to play our part in reducing the likelihood of transmission in the community and having extremely squashed trams increases this risk. In that light, we do ask students that you don’t get on afternoon trams where you getting on is going make the trams very full. If that means that you have to wait for the next tram, and perhaps consequently miss a train connection and get home later than you normally would, this should be a lesser concern than keeping everyone safe at this time.
Masks
Up until recently, the advice around masks was that with very low levels of community transmission, masks were not necessary for most people in Victoria. In the recent outbreak of COVID-19 there has been significant community transmission, which means the Victorian government’s advice is now that all adults should wear a mask if they are in situations where they cannot practice physical distancing. It should be noted that keeping 1.5m between yourself and others and washing your hands are still the best defences against COVID-19. See the Victorian government advice regarding masks at https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/face-masks-covid-19
There is no requirement for any student or teacher to wear a mask at MGC.
It’s also worth acknowledging that it can be a bit weird to put a mask on for the first time (see below) – if you’re like me then today was the first time that I’ve ever put one on. It’s also worth saying that it will undoubtedly be somewhat confronting to see large numbers of people wearing a mask within the schoolgrounds and on public transport. Cloth masks that can be worn and washed at the end of each day are a better and more sustainable option than the disposable ones I have access to at the moment. Finally, it is important to wash hands before and after putting on a mask or adjusting your mask.
Personally, whenever I am out of my office I will try and always wear a mask (hopefully the cloth ones I have on order come in soon). This is because it is believed that wearing a face mask protects both the wearer and the community by providing an additional physical barrier to coronavirus. I would encourage any other teachers, staff and students to wear a mask if they are comfortable doing so and it is practical for them (the Chief Health Officer suggested today that it may be hard for teachers to teach using a mask).
The Café
Also attached is information regarding online ordering through the Cafe. At lunchtime, the regular lines will be only available for drinks and snacks so we encourage you to place an order if you want to purchase lunch items.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal
Update 33 -12/07/2020
VCE classes do not begin until Period 2 (10.35am) on this day:
- Students can enter the school grounds only after 9.45am at Gate 1A (Tennis Courts gate) or Gate 3 (General Office gate). Please note that MGC staff will be in briefings regarding the new arrangements prior to this time and it is not appropriate for students to be on site before 9.45am.
- To accommodate these temperature checks, any students arriving after the start of lessons (e.g. any Year 10-12 students arriving for Period 3 or 4) will now need to sign in and have their temperature checked at the General Office. Students can only enter via Gate 3 after 10.30am.
Tuesday 14th July to Friday 17th July
- Students will only be able to access the MGC grounds after 8am.
- Gate 1A (Tennis courts gate) will be in operation between 8am and 8.50am each morning.
- Gate 3 (General Office gate) will operate from 8am.
- Any students arriving after the start of lessons for the day (e.g. students late to Period 1, or arriving for their first class in Periods 2, 3 or 4) will now need to sign in at the General Office and have their temperature checked there.
Car Parks
- To ensure that students only access MGC via Gate 1A and 3 before school, the Lyceum car park exit (Gate 1) and the General Office car park exit (Gate 5) will be locked until the end of the school day.
- If parents are dropping students at school, they should drop their children off on Yarra Boulevard or in a nearby street, not in the MGC car parks.
We recognise that these changes will take some getting used to and we ask that everyone is patient and mindful of physical distancing to ensure everyone’s safety.
A further update covering physical distancing and masks will be sent tomorrow evening.
Acting Principal
Update 30 – 12/06/2020
Hi MGC Students, Teachers/Carers and Staff,
Based on our assessments at Tram Duty this week, we have made a decision to change our staggered timetable so that Period 4 will begin 5 minutes earlier for Middle School Students in the final two weeks of term. This should also reduce the noise issues with Middle School Students being at their lockers at the beginning of Period 4. Lesson times are attached below.
We will also have 60 minute lessons and a staggered 2.20/2.30 finish on the last day of term on Friday 26th June, also see attached.
Decisions regarding the Term 3 timetable will be based on Department of Education and Training advice, which we expect in the last week of this term.
I hope everyone has a good weekend.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal
Update 29 – 09/06/2020
Dear MGC Parents/Carers, Students and Staff,
It was generally a very calm and orderly first day back today, with the main feedback being that understandably, students have enjoyed seeing their friends face-to-face! Our attendance rate across the whole school was 96%.
- As per an earlier newsfeed, the Student Free Day originally scheduled for this Friday has been moved back one week to Friday 19th June.
- Yarra Boulevard was very busy this morning and afternoon with many families choosing to drop off and pick up their children. The police were enforcing the ‘No Right Turn’ from Bridge Road into Yarra Boulevard this morning as well. If families are dropping their children at school, they may wish to consider using Westbank Terrace and Bendigo Street (as a parallel alternative to Yarra Boulevard). From these streets, it is only a minute longer for students to walk to the crossings on Yarra Boulevard.
- With our staggered start, during breaks and at the end of the day, there were more students outside classrooms, which can affect the learning environment for those students already in the classroom. We remind students that:
- they should gather their resources from their lockers quietly and move to their classrooms (the majority of which are open for students to wait in) rather than waiting in the corridors
- the 1.45pm warning bell is not for Year 7-9 students. Students in these year levels should not head inside to their lockers until closer to the 2.05pm Period 4 start time
- Although not strictly coronavirus related, it was noted that although many students were wearing their uniform well today, some students need to ensure that their uniform and dress are appropriate. This is no different to normal with shirts tucked in, no additional jackets, natural hair colours only, no facial piercings etc.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal
Update 27 – 04/06/2020
Dear MGC Students, Parents/Carers and Staff,
We look forward to having all students back on site next Tuesday! Please find attached a guide for the return to school. As there will be changes to how the school has operated over the past week and a half, we ask that all students in Years 7 to 12 have a read of this document over the next few days. In the first period next Tuesday 9th June, teachers will talk through some of these important changes with students in Years 7-10.
Also attached is information regarding online ordering through the Cafe. Limited lunch items will be available in the regular lines so we encourage all students and staff to use the lunch order service.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal 2020
MGC Return To School for all students
Cafe Online Ordering information
Update 26 – 25/05/2020
Dear MGC Students, Parents/Carers and Staff,
We look forward to welcoming students studying Unit 1 and 3 subjects tomorrow. Our teachers will run through some slides at the start of Period 1 reinforcing many of the points made in the document provided last Friday in Update 25. The most important message though is about something you can do before you get to school. Students must stay at home if they are experiencing any cold or flu like symptoms such as sore throat, fever or cough. Similarly, if these symptoms develop during the school day we will ask students to attend First Aid and then ask a parent/carer to attend school to pick students up.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal 2020
Update 25 – 22/05/2020
Dear MGC Students, Parents/Carers, Teachers and Staff,
- Please find attached a guide for the Stage 1 Return to School. This has lots of information for those students undertaking a Unit 1 or 3 subject and who will be returning next week to MGC. Senior School students should consider it their homework for Monday’s Student Free Day! Please note that the existing 60 minute remote learning timetable will operate until Friday 5th June. A separate Stage 2 Return to School document will be made available by Friday 5th June via newsfeed.
- Also attached is information regarding online ordering through the Cafe. Online ordering decreases the amount of time that students and staff need to spend inside at the Cafe. At lunchtime in Stage 1, the regular lines will be only available for drinks and snacks, not lunch items. If your family has never used the lunch order service, now is the perfect time to begin.
- The final attachment is the Stage 2 Timetable which will operate from Tuesday 9th June. This has been developed with the following rationale, after consultation with staff and students:
- The school day will start no earlier than 8.50 and finish no later than 3.15 for all students. Staggered start and finish times recognise student concerns around crowding on public transport. The staggered finish is now 15 minutes (compared to the usual 10 minutes) which should assist with crowding on trams.
- The staggers in the middle of the day reduce traffic in stairwells and corridors. Rooms in the main building will be unlocked and students will be able to enter classrooms when they are vacant and wait there for their teachers, further reducing congestion in corridors.
- 70 minute lessons – minimal change to our usual 75 minute lessons.
- Students have a minimum 10 minutes to wash their hands between periods.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Assistant Principals, Andrew Arney, Sefija Demirova and Rachel Robertson, and our Facilities Manager, Glen Holland, for their tireless work in getting these plans (and many other things around the school) ready for next week.
Enjoy your weekend.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal 2020
Update 24 – 20/05/2020
Dear MGC Student, Parents/Carers, Teachers and Staff,
It has been a little while since the last update, so I thought I would let you know about the plans we have been making with the return to school from next Tuesday.
On Monday, we surveyed our senior students about their feelings regarding the return to school. One of the understandable concerns expressed by students was the likelihood of contracting COVID-19 themselves, as well as the risk of them contracting it and passing it on to friends and family members. In light of these concerns, I have attached a snippet from the Chief Health Officer of Victoria, Professor Brett Sutton, regarding the reasons for reopening schools at this time. I would also draw your attention to the data available here, which shows that people aged under 20 years have had far fewer numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19, compared to other age groups. Despite the very low risk to students and staff, our number one priority is to further reduce the chances of the transmission of COVID-19 at MGC.
There will be further information in a newsfeed on Friday which will have more confirmed plans.
Stage 1 – From Tuesday 26th May
We look forward to welcoming students studying Units 1 and 3 subjects on this date.
- We have furthered our plans for Year 10 students, some of whom will need to stay on site for the school day. For those students, they should head to their normal timetabled Year 10 rooms, to be supervised by their usual teacher. If the teacher is absent, students can head to the Library. All students will participate in their Year 10 lessons via Microsoft Teams.
- Any Year 7-9 students that have been participating in the on-site supervision arrangements will also transition to being supervised by their usual teachers in their normal timetabled classroom, or head to the Library if the teacher is absent.
- All lessons in Stage 1 will continue with the existing remote learning timetable.
- To reduce crowding across the school:
- classroom doors in the main building will be kept open to reduce the number of people in corridors
- altered arrangements will be in place for the General Office, Cafe, VCE Study Centre and Library to reduce the number of people in these places
- some teachers will have moved their office, with a new staff office in Room 105
Stage 2 – From Monday 9th June
We look forward to welcoming all students back on this date.
- Further to the arrangements around crowding outlined above, there will be staggered starting times, lesson times and finishing times for Year 7-9 and Year 10-12 students. This timetable will be released when finalised on Friday. Part of the rationale for the staggers at the start and end of the day is spreading the load of MGC students across Bridge Road trams, which was a concern highlighted when we surveyed senior students earlier in the week. The staggers in the middle of the school day will help to reduce crowds of students in the corridors and stairwells, and allow time for students to wash or sanitise their hands between classes.
Other measures
- Some students and staff, including teachers, will wear face masks when they return to school. We ask that all members of the MGC community respect the desires of those members of our community who choose to protect themselves and others inthis way.
- The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has advised that a ‘venue density rule’ of no more than one person per four square metres is not appropriate or practical in classrooms or corridors, nor maintaining 1.5 metres between students during classroom activities. We do ask that all members of the MGC community practice physical distancing wherever they can, and students must keep a minimum 1.5 metre distance with their teachers and staff wherever possible.
Student Free Days
There is a statewide Student Free Day scheduled for next Monday 25th May.
Our MGC Report Writing Day has been rescheduled from Friday 12th June to Friday 19th June.
Uniform
Bob Stewart is open to purchase winter uniform – please have a look at the website at http://www.bobstewart.com.au/.
We will have further information about the Parents’ Association Second Hand Uniform Shop early next week.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal 2020
Update 23 – 14/05/2020
Dear MGC Parents/Carers, Students and Staff,
Thank you for all your support during these past few weeks of remote learning.
Following advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government has advised that schools can begin a staged return to on-site schooling.
To support all school staff to prepare for this transition, Monday 25th May will be a pupil-free day.
Stage 1: Tuesday 26th May to Friday 5th June
In the first stage, students in Prep, Grade 1 and Grade 2, senior secondary (Year 11 and 12 VCE) students and all students in specialist schools will return to school from Tuesday 26 May:
- At Melbourne Girls’ College we will retain our existing remote learning timetable, with 60 minute lessons and minimum 30 minute breaks between classes
- Year 10 students undertaking VCE studies should also attend school for those classes
- Year 10 MGC students that cannot travel between their homes and school in the break times on these days will be able to stay on site for the entire school day. Further details regarding this will be released next week.
- For those students who cannot be supervised at home and vulnerable children, the existing model of on-site schooling will remain in place during this stage. If there are any families that need to have their children supervised at MGC that have not been participating in the existing arrangements, please email me (brent.houghton@mgc.vic.edu.au)
Stage 2: From Tuesday 9th June
In the second stage of our return to on-site schooling, all other year levels will return to school from Tuesday 9 June.
Attendance
Once a year level has returned, all students will be expected to attend school as normal. This means if you choose to keep your child/children home after their year level has returned to on-site schooling, we can no longer support their learning from home.
This does not apply to children who need to be absent for health or medical reasons. For those families, we ask that parents complete this form so that we can begin the process of making a plan with you. An Assistant Principal or Year Level Leader will then make contact.
This same approach is being taken by all government schools in Victoria.
Cleaning, hygiene & health advice
To support the health and wellbeing of all our students and staff, our school will continue an enhanced cleaning routine and will encourage frequent hand washing.
If you child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice.
While the Victorian Chief Health Officer has advised that students will not be required to maintain physical distancing at school, there will be a number of important changes to our school operations, consistent with health advice. This will apply until further notice. I will provide more detail about our local school context as soon as possible, but it is important to note that changes will include:
- restrictions on access to the school site for anyone other than immediate school staff and students
- the way we conduct parent-teacher meetings and interviews
- potentially staggered lesson times and other arrangements to reduce crowding in corridors, stairwells and large gathering places in the school.
We understand that some families may feel anxious about this move back to classroom teaching and learning. I can assure you that this decision has been taken on the basis of the best health advice available to our state.
More information about the return to school and coronavirus (COVID-19) can be found on the Department’s website, which will continue to be updated: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/coronavirus.aspx
Thank you for your continued support and patience during this time. We look forward to welcoming our students back to the classroom.
10,000 Step Challenge
On a much lighter note, I would like to congratulate the 98 students and staff that completed the 10,000 Step Challenge last Friday, winning points for the House Cup in the process. Over 1.2 million steps were recorded by these students and staff, a fantastic effort! You can see the names in the wheels attached.
The draw for $50 gift card prizes will take place tomorrow (Friday 15th May) at 10am on MGC All Students on Microsoft Teams.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal 2020
Update 22 – 12/05/2020
Dear MGC Students, Parents/Carers and Staff,
As you have likely seen on TV this morning or followed in the media, the State Government has announced a staggered return to face-to-face schooling:
- There will be a statewide Student Free Day on Monday 25th May.
- Unit 1 and 3 classes will run face-to-face from Tuesday 26th May. Year 10 students that have Unit 1 classes will be able to attend these face-to-face classes. Year 10 students who need to stay at school for the entire school day on days when they have Unit 1 classes will be able to do so.
- Classes in all year levels will run face to face from Tuesday 9th June.
When we have further information about these arrangements, we will let you know.
Further information can be found in the Premier’s Media Release here.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal 2020
Update 21 – 01/05/2020
Dear MGC Parents, Carers, Students, Teachers and Staff,
Internet Devices – Can we help?
I hope that you have had a positive experience with remote learning this week. We know that internet problems cause frustrations for many students and families at this time. Today we have received delivery of internet enabled tablet devices (that can be used as a Telstra wi-fi hotspot) from the Department of Education and Training, to support families with internet provision. Separately, through an arrangement with one of our technology suppliers, we have been able to source Telstra SIM cards with significant data limits. Our team has already contacted those families that indicated at the end of Term 1 that they have problems with internet connections and have arranged for some of these devices to be used by families (at no charge) during remote learning.
If your family is experiencing one of the following issues:
– no internet at home
– many people trying to use the family wi-fi at once causing internet congestion
– approaching data limits on your phone/home internet
– other internet problems and the use of a device or SIM card will assist your child’s learning, please complete this form so that we can see if we can assist (at no charge). The form can be completed by a parent/carer or student.
We will make contact with any people that complete the form, next week.
I hope you and your family have an enjoyable weekend. Stay safe and stay warm!
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal 2020
Update 19 – 23/04/2020
Dear MGC Students, Parents, Carers, Teachers and Staff,
60 minute lessons from Monday 27th April
After much deliberation, and based on feedback from students and teachers, we have decided to reduce the length of lessons during the period of remote learning from 75 to 60 minutes. This decision is made in the interests of learning and wellbeing for both students and teachers.
Students completed a survey in class yesterday, and there were many comments regarding tiredness and screen fatigue being a challenge in remote learning. This is in accord with feedback received from teachers and parents as well. Our change to 60 minute lessons is consistent with advice from the Department of Education and Training regarding expectations for face to face teaching time during remote learning, as well as being in line with the approach taken by other schools, including our colleagues in the City Edge network.
The only lessons that may in some circumstances be longer than 60 minutes are VCE assessments, which may extend up to 75 minutes. If a VCE assessment is going to be longer than 60 minutes, this will be communicated to students at least one week in advance of the scheduled assessment.
During tomorrow’s Student Free Day, teachers will be adjusting their plans for this term, to recognise the fact that we cannot hope to cover the same amount of content at the same pace during this term. The speed at which some teachers have moved during some lessons and the amount of work required outside of classes was another concern reflected in the student survey. The good news is that through changes that we have made at MGC as well as those proposed by the VCAA, there will be more time to cover the content needed this year. I know this is particularly on the minds of students studying VCE Unit 3/4 subjects this year. These changes include:
- The extension of semester 1 to the end of term 2 at MGC
- No NAPLAN for Year 7 and 9 students in May
- No Year 10 or 11 exams in June
- Unit 3/4 exams to occur in December rather than late October/early November
- A review of all VCE Study Designs by the VCAA for Unit 4, to reduce, where possible, school-based assessment tasks such as SACs. We understand these changes to Study Designs will be released over coming days and will be communicated to families shortly thereafter.
We have made a further change to our assessment protocols, with students in Years 7 to 9 completing only one Learning Task for each subject this term.
We are going to keep the structure of the day as closely aligned as possible to a normal school day, as this will allow for meaningful breaks for students and teachers. The break between each lesson will be at least 30 minutes, which will allow students and teachers to eat, relax or exercise between the times they need to be at their screens. The lesson times can be accessed below.
Finally, I’d like to thank those families that have shared their experiences with me and other school leaders over the past week or so. I shared some of these with a grateful staff on Tuesday afternoon, who in turn wanted me to thank our students for the ways in which they have shown patience and resilience in adapting to this new style of learning. We hope that this change, which we believe reflects the needs of our students, will further improve the remote learning experience for all.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal 2020
Update 18 – 21/04/2020
Dear MGC Community,
Welcome to Term 2 from the Wellbeing team!
As you are aware, this term is looking very different from what we are used to! Although we are all learning and working from home, the Wellbeing team is available to support students, parents and the school community to remain connected and well.
At present, we are able to offer assistance via email and phone contact. If you would like support or information, you can request wellbeing support by emailing your Year Level Leader or an Assistant Principal at MGC. You are also welcome to contact us directly via our contact details listed below. Please be aware that parent/carer consent is required for individual phone consultations with students in line with the Child Safe standards. Although we will work to ensure the confidentiality of our discussions wherever possible, it is preferred that a parent or carer is at home when calls take place.
Please note that this is not a crisis service and will be staffed as much as possible between 9am – 3pm during term time. If you have a crisis or an emergency, please call 000.
In addition, the Wellbeing team is able to provide a range of resources that cover general mental health and wellbeing issues as well as information that is specific to COVID-19. We will continue to share new support options and helpful resources that we discover, but please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have a specific question or need. We are also continuing to liaise with external agencies who support our students in the wider community.
Warm regards,
Brittany, Danielle and Kate
Contacting Us
Brittany Killer (10020411@mgc.vic.edu.au) Monday – Friday
Danielle Floyd (09473924@mgc.vic.edu.au) Monday – Friday
Kate McLean (08397571@mgc.vic.edu.au) Wednesday – Friday
Phone: 94288955 (Option 2). In the climate of remote learning, phone calls and voicemails may not be received immediately. While we endeavour to respond promptly, if you have not received a response within 48 hours during the school week, please email or contact the General Office.
Update 16 – 16/04/2020
Dear MGC Students, Parents, Carers, Teachers and Staff,
Thank you to all members of the MGC community for their efforts today. We did experience some Compass issues, but there were no widespread outages with our technology. Pleasingly, we can see through our attendance data that almost all students were able to access their MGC classes, and our Principal team, office, education support and IT staff have been working hard to track down those students without reliable internet or devices and we’ll continue to make that a priority.
I want to pay particular thanks to our teachers, as I have been so impressed with the positive way in which they have approached this massive challenge – it is no small thing to move classes online in such a short period. Melbourne Girls’ College is a high performing school, and it can only be so because of the dedicated professionals who are there every day to support your children. From my perspective today it was great to see how teachers were sharing advice, tips and tricks with one another, so that they can quickly become proficient with Teams. In this new, remote world, MGC is also blessed to have outstanding IT support, led by Anthony Keen. I also heard of many students helping one another out and showing patience in class when things didn’t go as planned. How good is MGC?
Finally, the College Leadership team has made some decisions that you should be aware of. These decisions will free up valuable learning and teaching time for students to cover the content that they need to during this semester.
- There will be no Year 10 or Unit 1 exams in June. We usually run these exams to give our Year 10 and 11 students a similar experience to what they will have in Year 12, but we will not be able to provide these in an authentic, face-to-face way in Term 2. There will still be end of year exams for Year 10 English, Maths and Unit 2 studies later in the year.
- The end of Semester 1 is usually two weeks prior to the end of Term 2, but for this year the semester will finish at the end of Term 2.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal 2020
UPDATE 15
Dear MGC Community,
Remote learning is only one sleep away
During today our staff have been learning and collaborating from their homes, preparing for the start of remote learning tomorrow. It’s certainly a challenge for everyone – teachers and staff, students and families, and we won’t really know what it looks like until we do. We know that for some parents there will be difficulties with having multiple family members sharing the same space and needing supervision, as well as trying to work or study themselves. For some students there will be issues around technology and learning in this new environment. And for all, there is the isolation which makes it harder to connect with our peers. Our staff are facing many of these same challenges and we ask that all members of the school community keep in mind patience, as well as some of our other wellbeing themes of empathy, kindness and resilience during these early stages of remote learning. We’re all in this experiment together.
MGC staff self-isolation video
Thanks to our STEAM Leader, Wendy Keen and IT guru, Anthony Keen our MGC staff have put together a wonderful video encapsulating their past couple of weeks in self isolation. Take a look here!
Changes to lesson times
With remote learning starting tomorrow, we have made the decision to adjust our lesson times. The experience in other schools in both Victoria and overseas that have been doing remote learning is that building in times for breaks and exercise are important to make the school day as productive as possible for students and staff. The key changes are:
- No Tuesday timetable during remote learning
- A mini break between Periods 2 and 3
- A consistent Period 4 for all year levels, finishing at 3.20pm
See below for more information. These lesson time changes are reflected in the Compass schedule for tomorrow onwards.
Staffing Update
Finally, congratulations to Jordan Evans who has been reappointed the Year 8 Assistant Leader. Jordan will continue his excellent work with students in Year 8 alongside the Year 8 Leader, Shaunagh O’Connell.
Brent Houghton
Acting Principal 2020